Psychometric Analysis of the Body Shape Questionnaire in Mexican University Students

Beyond Gender: Interoceptive Sensibility as a Key Predictor of Body Image Disturbances

Body image disturbance (BID) involves negative attitudes towards shape and weight and is associated with lower levels of interoceptive sensibility (IS) (the subjective perceptions of internal bodily states). This association is considered a risk factor for developing eating disorders (EDs) and is linked to altered sensorimotor representations of the body (i.e., body schema). BIDs manifest across genders and are currently understudied in men. This study investigated gender-related differences in BID and its relationship to the body schema and IS. Data were collected from 86 men and 86 women. BID was assessed using questionnaires measuring self-objectification, state, and trait body dissatisfaction. IS was measured via the MAIA-2. The body schema was indexed via an embodied mental rotation task. Results showed that women reported higher BID than men across all scales. Gender differences in sub-components of interoceptive sensibility were found. Overall, both gender and interoceptive sensibility predicted BID. However, interoceptive sensibility exhibited its own unique association with BID beyond the influence of gender. BID, IS and gender were not significant predictors of performance in the body schema task. Therefore, while gender predicts differences in BID and interoceptive sensibility, there was no evidence of gender-related differences in body schema.

Psychometric Properties of Different Versions of the Body Shape Questionnaire in Female Aesthetic Patients

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the psychometric properties (internal consistency and factorial validity) of different versions of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) in a sample of female aesthetic patients. The sample included 296 women attending aesthetic clinics, with ages ranging between 18 and 70 years (M = 32.23, SD = 11.35) and body mass index between 17.10 and 45.00 kg/m2 (M = 24.70, SD = 4.07). Nine different length versions of the BSQ (BSQ-34, BSQ-32, BSQ-16A, BSQ-16B, BSQ-14, BSQ-8A, BSQ-8B, BSQ-8C and BSQ-8D) were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses, using a robust maximum likelihood estimator. Robust fit indices indicated that the BSQ-8D version was the better-fitting and more parsimonious model (S-Bχ2/df = 1.81, CFI = 0.963, RMSEA = 0.052, SRMR = 0.043). This short version also showed appropriate reliability (McDonald's omega and composite reliability = 0.87) and a very high correlation with the original BSQ-34 version (r = 0.95). In sum, these findings suggest that the BSQ-8D is the most valid, reliable and suitable BSQ version for measuring body shape concerns in female aesthetic patients.

Psychometric properties of the Italian body shape questionnaire: an investigation of its reliability, factorial, concurrent, and criterion validity

PURPOSE

This study was set up to investigate the reliability, factorial, concurrent, and criterion validity of the Italian version of the 34-item Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and its shorter versions.

METHODS

The study included 231 patients diagnosed with an eating disorder and 58 putatively healthy people (comparison sample). The Italian BSQ-34 was administered to participants together with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Information on body mass index, caloric intake at baseline, and the number of episodes of self-vomiting per week was also acquired.

RESULTS

Cronbach's alpha of BSQ-34 was 0.971 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.965-0.976) in patients and 0.960 (0.944-0.974) in controls. Test-retest stability in patients (n = 69), measured with intraclass correlation coefficient, was 0.987 (0.983-0.991). Confirmatory factor analysis of the single-factor model yielded acceptable fit for all versions of the BSQ. On all BSQ versions, patients scored higher than controls with a large effect size when calculated as Cliff's delta. BMI and mean caloric intake at baseline had a stronger association with BSQ-34 than levels of anxiety and depression. The analysis with the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve showed that the BSQ-34 distinguished patients with an eating disorder from controls with good accuracy (Area Under the Curve = 86.5; 95% CI 82.2-90.7).

CONCLUSION

The Italian version of the BSQ possesses good psychometric properties, in both the long and the shortened versions, and it can be applied to measure body dissatisfaction for both clinical and research purposes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

Self-care model and body image in adults after a bariatric surgery

OBJECTIVE

the aim of the present article was to test a self-care model explained by the relationship between self-efficacy, body image, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression in people with bariatric surgery in the city of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

METHOD

this was a correlational cross-sectional study carried out between August and December 2020. Validated instruments were administered to 102 participants to measure their self-care capacity, general self-efficacy, psychopathological symptoms, and body image perception and satisfaction. The variables of interest were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to develop a model using path analysis.

RESULT

a significant model was obtained with adequate goodness-of-fit indicators (chi-square χ2 (8) = 11.451, p = .177; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)= 0.000; goodness-of-fit index (GFI)= 0.965; comparative fit index (CFI)= 0.985; parsimonious normed fit index (PNFI)= 0.509, and Akaike information criterion (AIC)= 37.451). Self-efficacy (Zβ=0.294) and body image dissatisfaction (So= -0.376) were shown to influence self-care abilities while psychopathological symptoms influenced body dissatisfaction: obsessive-compulsive disorder (Zβ=0.370) and depression (Zβ=0.320).

CONCLUSION

adequate levels of self-efficacy and body satisfaction predict a high capacity for self-care.

Running in Natural Spaces: Gender Analysis of Its Relationship with Emotional Intelligence, Psychological Well-Being, and Physical Activity

Running is a complete and accessible physical exercise for the population, but little research has been done on the psychological and environmental variables related to its practice. The objective of this research was to determine how emotional intelligence, psychological well-being, and body dissatisfaction are related to running in natural spaces for men and women. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 331 runners from 20 states of the Mexican Republic (55.3% women), between 18 and 80 years old (m = 37.4; SD = 11.5), with an average of 7 years running experience (SD = 9.3). The Brief Emotional Intelligence Inventory, the Psychological Well-Being Scale, and the Body Shape Questionnaire were used. The results show that men who run in natural spaces have greater psychological well-being and emotional intelligence (stress management) and less body dissatisfaction, and they run more days per week than those who run in built spaces. Predictors of running in natural spaces were greater psychological well-being and emotional intelligence (stress management). On the other hand, women who run in natural spaces show lower emotional intelligence (stress management) and run for more minutes per day. The predictors for running in natural spaces were identified as lower emotional intelligence (stress management), running for more minutes per day, and practicing another physical exercise. In conclusion, in this heterogeneous sample, natural environments are likely to be related to better performance and certain psychological indicators for runners. However, these relationships differ between men and women, so further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our findings.

Self-care model and body image in adults after a bariatric surgery

Objective:

the aim of the present article was to test a self-care model explained by the relationship between self-efficacy, body image, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression in people with bariatric surgery in the city of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

Method:

this was a correlational cross-sectional study carried out between August and December 2020. Validated instruments were administered to 102 participants to measure their self-care capacity, general self-efficacy, psychopathological symptoms, and body image perception and satisfaction. The variables of interest were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to develop a model using path analysis.

Result:

a significant model was obtained with adequate goodness-of-fit indicators (chi-square χ² (8) = 11.451, p = .177; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)= 0.000; goodness-of-fit index (GFI)= 0.965; comparative fit index (CFI)= 0.985; parsimonious normed fit index (PNFI)= 0.509, and Akaike information criterion (AIC)= 37.451). Self-efficacy (Zβ=0.294) and body image dissatisfaction (So= -0.376) were shown to influence self-care abilities while psychopathological symptoms influenced body dissatisfaction: obsessive-compulsive disorder (Zβ=0.370) and depression (Zβ=0.320).

Conclusion:

adequate levels of self-efficacy and body satisfaction predict a high capacity for self-care.

Modelo de autocuidado e imagen corporal en adultos post-cirugía bariátrica

Resumen Objetivo: probar un modelo de autocuidado explicado por la relación entre autoeficacia, imagen corporal, obsesión-compulsión y depresión en personas con cirugía bariátrica de la ciudad de Tijuana, B.C. Método: estudio transversal correlacional realizado entre agosto y diciembre de 2020. Se aplicaron instrumentos validados a 102 participantes para medir su capacidad de autocuidado, autoeficacia general, síntomas psicopatológicos, percepción y satisfacción de la imagen corporal. Las variables de interés fueron analizadas mediante estadística descriptiva y correlaciones de Pearson y Spearman para finalmente elaborar un modelo mediante análisis de ruta (Path Analysis). Resultados: se obtuvo un modelo significativo con buenos indicadores de bondad de ajuste (chi-cuadrado χ 2 (8)= 11.451, p = .177; error de aproximación raíz-media-cuadrada (RMSEA)= 0.000; índice de bondad de ajuste (GFI)= 0.965; índice de ajuste comparativo (CFI)= 0.985; índice de ajuste normado parsimonioso (PNFI)= 0.509 y criterio de información de Akaike (AIC)= 37.451). Se demostró que la autoeficacia (Zβ= 0.294) y la insatisfacción de la imagen corporal (Zβ= -0.376) tienen un efecto sobre las capacidades de autocuidado mientras que los síntomas psicopatológicos influyen sobre la insatisfacción corporal: obsesión-compulsión (Zβ= 0.370) y depresión (Zβ= 0.320). Conclusión: los niveles adecuados de autoeficacia y satisfacción corporal predicen una alta capacidad de autocuidado.